PhoenixFyre

I suggested using the rack to allow air to circulate around and under the jars. You want to try to keep the whole jar and its contents at the same temp as the wax cools.

 

One of the reasons I don't use heavy bottom jars is because the top and bottom tend to cool the wax at different temps in the jar creating uneven looking wax. Its one of the things I am thinking may be contributing to wax lines.

 

If you can figure out a way to keep the wax at the bottom the same temp as the wax at the top of the candle you may solve your problem.

 

The other idea is that the lines may be pour lines. In which case you need to practice pouring the wax into the jar with a steady smooth pour trying to avoid any jerking.

Thanks for the clarification. Just got a delivery of more wax yesterday and my FOs came in today, so I'll probably be testing more tomorrow or the next day. I will definitely watch my pouring and see what I can do about keeping the jar at a uniform temp as it cools. Hopefully I'll be more successful this next go around. I'll post pics of my next attempt as soon as I get them done. Thanks again, Candybee!

Thanks so much for the advice, Candybee. I'm glad you confirmed it's the not wax. I didn't think it was, but it's nice to have it confirmed.

Now I'm trying to recall if my pouring was jerky. I think I poured pretty smoothly into the jars. I've always tried to pour fast but not too fast, but maybe my fast isn't fast enough, so I'll be more conscious of it next time.

As far as the surface on which I place my jars, the two in the picture I poured with the jars sitting on a small baking rack on top of my table. However, I'm drawing a blank on whether or not I used the baking rack every time. So is it that the rack is allowing too much air to circulate around the bottom, cooling it quicker? And pouring with the jars on a cookie sheet or something similar would retain some of the heat at the bottom and allow for the candle to cool more uniformly? Did I understand that correctly?

Thanks so much for this. You have given me more to look for and be conscious of. I really appreciate it!

They're 11.5 oz tumblers from Peak. I've done a few Glass Glow palm and Sparkle Light palm candles in the same type of container out of the same box, and they came out beautiful. No weird streaks or lines.

Also of note, the lines don't seem to affect the burn of the candle. I've burned a few already all the way through, and nothing weird happened when it got to the area where the streaks were. No odd coloring or anything weird with the fragrance. Nothing happened to the flame. It just burned like the rest of the candle. So I'm really puzzled. Just don't know which direction to go at this point. I'm enjoying this wax otherwise and I don't want to give up on it. I feel like there's probably a simple solution to this and I'll face-palm myself once it's figured out, lol.

Yep, this is a one pour, Trappeur. I know there has got to be something I'm missing or not figuring out, but I don't know what it is at this point. Thanks for trying though!

Would anyone be willing to offer some thoughts/advice on why this is happening? I've started testing out J223 (4633) from Lonestar, and every single candle I've poured gets these lines or sometimes even areas of darker color. I've tried different pouring temps ranging from 150 to about 178, I've heated the jars, not heated the jars, I've done some with color chips and some with liquid color, and used 6% to 6.5% FO (depending on the scent). I even tried reheating one with a heat gun after it was setting but the lines came back. I also add 0.3% UV inhibitor to each one but no other additives.

I'm not sure what else I should be looking at to know where I'm going wrong. If anyone would be willing to offer some help, I sure would appreciate it. Thanks! 

Do you have a picture of the candle? If you can take a picture and post it, I'm sure people can help you figure out what's happening.

I appreciate this topic, too. I was in the same boat thinking that rule of thumb for melt pool was an hour for every inch in diameter and then it should be full, so it's VERY helpful to hear that this is more so the case for pillars and not so for containers. It actually makes complete sense, too. After four months of hands of learning with making candles, I FINALLY made what I consider a close-to-successful candle. I hadn't considered it totally successful because I had hangup through the first several test burns. The hangup had melted away by the final burn, but I thought I shouldn't have had any hangup at all. GREAT to know that I might have been successful after all! Thank you for asking this question, KB12!

Yep, been there, done that (and still doing it, lol). My straight paraffin container candles do the same thing in an 8 oz jelly jar. I don't have my notes in front of me, but I think I poured a little cooler than 180...I think around 175 mark...and I would also zap my containers with a heat gun before pouring. It would help a little with the sinking, but I still always had to do a second and sometimes even a third pour.

Outstanding, Top! You rock!

I've found that the placement of the candle in any particular room can have a lot to do with the perceived HT.  My house is small and my A/C return vent is in the small living room.  I get very little HT when burning a candle in the LR when A/C is running because the return vent just SUCKS it up.  So I usually place candles in a bedroom/bathroom and the A/C return then pulls the wonder scent thru the house.

 

Natural drafts are something to be watched too.  If I burn a candle in the LR with doors open, a natural draft carries the scent from LR, thru the dining room & kitchen and straight out the back door.  I get a wonderful scent in the back yard ... hehehe

Too true, Pam, and this is something that I will need to add to my list of things to think about when testing. Now that we're in AC weather, I will definitely take notes of what happens with my candles with and without the AC running.

Another thing I forgot to mention when test burning....Your jelly jar you have been using.  Where are you using it?  In a big room, great room?  Unless it is some great powerfrul throwing fragrance I find that jar needs to go in a small room (for me).  There are exceptions, like pine fragrances or macintosh apple.  So consider that.  I have a good friend who only gets her candles from me as she likes certain scents she can't find elsewhere.  Now she is in  a log home with vaulted ceilings and what she does as I suggested is burn 2 same candles as her home is large.

 

Trappeur

This bit of advice is so right on, Trappeur. I just recently had a Homer Simpson "doh" moment with this exact problem. I've been trying to master wicks for paraffin and 11.5 oz tumblers and have been pulling out my hair trying to figure out why I wasn't getting much hot throw. I was testing them in my living room and front dining room...and then it dawned on me that the tumbler sizes might just be too small for those larger rooms. Finally moved one into my daughter's bedroom to test...and BAM! Walked into her room and just basked in the coconut lime goodness! The HT was great and I could even smell it when walking past her door. So yes, when testing for hot throw, the place you're testing does make a difference.

How wonderful for you, Trappeur. That is truly terrific! Go on with your bad self!

Sometime testing can be disheartening. .

when you have several awesome smelling fragrances and none of them have a good ht.

That's the stage I'm at right now, 8-Gran-Ones. Granted, I've only been at this for a couple of months, but it just seems no matter what I do, I can't get a great HT from any of my candles. All my FO's come from recommended places and I've tried to go for the ones that I've seen people say throw great. The FOs smell great when I'm making them, but by the time I go to burn them, not strong at all. I thought it was candle nose, but when I ask family members if they can smell it and they have to put their nose right up to the candle before saying yes, then I think I failed, lol. Right now I'm burning a palm wax pillar I made with absinthe FO. The cold throw was nice, but HT is not there at all. I just finished test burning three container candles in 11.5 oz tumblers, 4633 wax, and coconut lime verbena FO, all burning together in one room and barely could smell the FO. So I was hoping the coconut oil or coconut wax might be a help, but guess I'll just go back to the drawing board.

I'm curious about this as well but about adding it to paraffin also. I know someone who adds it to a votive parasoy blend and she said it was to help it with the throw as well as to make the parasoy blend suitable for container candles. I've tried to do research on the properties of coconut wax and coconut oil in relation to wax but haven't been very successful.

Thanks so much everyone!

Top---nope, didn't add any additives except UV inhibitor and was surprised that it came out easily. I'll add that to my notes about the stearic and feather palm, but I just tugged the wick a little and it slide out nicely.

Trappeur--did this one in absinthe. Along with the new wax I decided to try out some new fragrances too. I like the cold throw of it so far!

OldGlory-- so far I'm liking 1343 for paraffin pillars, but I just got some 1274 to try out so we'll see how that goes. I just tried out some 4633 for the first time after going through all my 2281. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I wanted to just stick with paraffin for now and really get to know it, but I couldn't help myself with the palm wax. It's just so cool looking, I had to get some and try it out, lol.

Jcandleattic-- Thanks for confirming that the surface is supposed to feel different. I'm going to light it up this weekend and watch how the burning goes.

Thanks again, everyone!

Well, here's my first go with palm. Did I do okay for the first try? Any suggestions? I thought it came out so pretty, but if my inexperienced eye is missing something, please feel free to let me know.

I've read a lot of Topofmurrayhill's posts about the different palm waxes and tried to take some hints and tips from those posts before trying this out.

I can feel the texture of the patterns on the candle surface. Is that what I should be feeling or should it have a smoother, glossy finish? Can starburst palm get a smooth finish? Not that I'm worried about it...just wondering so I know if I'm on the right path.

This was so fun! Sorry if the pics aren't the best.

Welcome, Bruce!

You sound just like me...wanting to jump in full speed ahead into a hobby, buying everything on the market because you think you just might need it. Lol. It took a lot of willpower to start slow with this hobby, but I am glad I did.

I've only been doing this for about three months now. Newbie to newbie, I would say do what you're doing. I started out with one type of container wax and a pillar wax, a few different wicks, two containers, and a few scents and colors and just started playing with those waxes to get to know them. Once I finish with a wax, I try another to see the differences. It's tough to go slow but, as the others said above, it's so very necessary because testing is extremely important. I've learned that repeatedly in these last few months. And as Daisymay66 said, we are lucky to have this forum with all its detailed and wonderful info because many of the seasoned crafters on here started out with only books to guide them, and they are kind enough to share their experience and expertise with beginners like us.

Have a blast as you begin this excellent hobby!

Is it better to weigh your vybar and do it in percentage or should I continue to do it by teaspoon?

I don't know if it's better or not. It's personal preference for me. Everyone's idea of a pinch is different, and every manufacturer's teaspoon might be a little different. For me, doing my additives by percentage and weighing it out, I figure I can more easily duplicate something or change something when needed.

I can't wait to see your results, DittosD. I am a newbie, too. I started out using 4144 for my pillars and just recently switched to 1343. I am still testing and playing with vybar in them. I was using 1 to 2% of vybar at first, but I have recently started going down to about 0.3%. I don't know what that would work out teaspoon-wise because I measure the vybar out by percentage, not teaspoons. I've never gone as high as 9% fo...I stay around the 6 to 7% range if using vybar and less if I'm not because the pillar sweats it out. None of them have had very strong cold throw but hot throw has been nice depending on the fo I'm using. Like you, I have also been testing flat braided wicks and I'm also trying square braid. Haven't found the right combo yet, but that's why we test, lol. I only ever waited a few days to let mine cure before testing, mostly because I'm impatient. I do have a couple that I made over a week ago that I haven't burned yet, so I guess I'll get to see if a longer cure time makes a difference.

I just did my very first pillar with color layers the other day. It didn't come out great, but I think it was OK for my first try.

The only difference I've noticed with adding vybar is that I can get 6% of fo in the pillar without worrying about sweating and it makes whatever color I've added more opaque and creamy looking, almost a pastel. I'm still too new to this so there may be other things happening that I'm not experienced enough to notice or look for. I also haven't done a head-to-head test of a pillar with vybar and without with all other elements the same. I need to do that in the near future.

Hope you are having fun!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your continued encouragement. I am having such a good time with this. Every second I can steal, I am sneaking out to my work area to make something. Testing is tough and I'm learning more and more how the tiniest little difference can throw off all the results, lol, but it's still awesome.

I have been trying the heat gun on top, but I found I prefer the final result I get with a second pour instead of the heat gun. After moving from the kitchen into my husband's man cave, I have been sort of thrown back to the drawing board on testing because the environment is so different, but that's part of the fun I guess.

Thanks again to all of you. You guys are all so inspiring to me. I am part of a few candle-making groups and forums, but I always come back to this one because I want my candles to be as terrific and as top notch as I have seen you all produce!

That people don't talk about dipping teddy bears in scented wax anymore. Or rolls of frackin' toilet paper. Thank you, thank you. If you still do it, please just don't reply.

Lol...are you kidding, Topofmurrayhill? The candle groups on Facebook that I belong to, that seems to be what most people are talking about. Each time I log in, there are pictures of drippy dipped TP and stuffed animals before and after wax torture, those and the food candles. Personally, I don't think it's something I'll ever get into. I struggle enough figuring out container candles and pillars, ha-ha. And I don't think scented animals and toilet paper is my cup of tea. I'm happy just making my melts and containers and pillars and dream of the day when I can start on soap.

sowwy.  i'll send you some brain bleach.

No worries. But no soup for you!

Thank you, JudyR and OldGlory! It is absolutely the best fun unmolding these things to see what comes out!

Those came out nice !!

Are you using the 3 X 4-1/2" round molds?

Sure am! It's the only mold I have right now that allows me to melt a pound of wax so I can use up these 1 oz sample fragrances I have and not end up with too much left over wax.

Thanks for the extra advice, Pam! I'm making notes of everything everyone has suggested and comparing it all with my tests. 1274 is on my list of waxes to try out next.

Here's another I did yesterday. Just opened my slab of 1343, so this is my first time working with it. Mottle was more successful this time around. The teeny tiny scientist in me is wondering if there is a way to ensure the mottle will bloom more on the surface of the wax instead in the middle. Something more to think about...